The thing about frequent exercise isn't that it makes your body break down faster (quite the opposite!); it's that it makes your body's aches and pains much more noticeable on a much more regular basis. Rather than just the gradual onset of groan-worthy joint-creakiness that has you wondering when you suddenly got old, it's a recurring shout in your ear: I'M SORE!

Here's a not-so-secret secret: The brief period of stretching at the end of a weights or aerobics class is not sufficient to keep you at the top of your game. If anything, it should be treated as inspirational, like when a parent eats a bite of baby food to entice the young one. See? This is how you stretch. Isn't it nice? Don't you want to do more?

I'm constantly trying to work at getting more recovery time into my daily life. My greatest success has been my soothing Sunday evening routine:

1. Attend a restorative yoga class (i.e., an hour of long stretches and trying not to take a nap in a warm room)
2. Take a candlelit bath
3. Listen to a relaxing, happy podcast
4. Stretch and foam roll
5. Sleep

That sounds so cliché and so darn luxurious, but it really sets me up for success. I know not everyone can afford the time or expense or solitude of some of those list items, but this is my plea to you to work at scheduling stints of recovery time into your week. Stretching at your desk, taking a short walk, putting in earplugs for an hour, maybe budgeting for a massage: All of these things can make a huge difference in your mindset and (so important!) in staving off injury.

Food for thought!

In early August 2017 Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s “Despacito” music video became the first-ever video to hit three billion views on YouTube. Three BILLION. That’s a number that’s almost half the population of the planet. It’s 235 million hours of music. Just on YouTube, for that one version of one song. That accomplishment moved me to finally write this post.

The first time I heard the song on the radio in April, I turned the volume way up and grooved in my seat and though I couldn’t see my own face I could feel it transforming from an expression of disbelief into one of the purest radiant joy. As the song ended I got shivers and started to cry, because I could feel it was something incredibly important.

Music is universal, and being exposed to music born in other regions, from other cultures, is the fastest and most powerful shortcut I can imagine to realizing the truth of our shared humanity. Amid loud messages telling Americans to fear and hate “outsiders” or “others”—messages that dehumanize—this Latin song with the reggaeton beat and the cumbia flavor and the Spanish language found its way onto the mainstream U.S. charts and stayed there. As of this writing it’s been number one on the charts for over three months.

How much of that is Justin Bieber’s doing? I say, probably not a lot. The record-smashing video is of January’s version of the song (without Biebs), for one thing, and he himself recognized the hit and requested to record a version of the track rather than being approached to do it. But also I say, does it matter? Each version of this song, in my estimation, is one with soul, genuinely true and not engineered to appeal to the English-speaking masses. While I love the big crossover Latin hits of years past, this is not the same as “Macarena” or “Livin’ La Vida Loca” or “Mambo No. 5” (can you believe that counted as a Latin hit in the U.S.?).

In a way that’s difficult to describe, “Despacito” also reminds me of my deep love for and pride about Zumba. My first Zumba class was the first time I’d ever really heard Latin or Indian or African rhythms, this music with history and passion and vivacity that had been hidden from me by circumstance. And oh, did I come to adore it. Zumba predates YouTube, and that the fitness format reached such astounding heights of popularity powered by music from all over the world is something not fully appreciated. It builds joyous communities not just on the local scale but also on the global one.

And love or hate the song of the summer of 2017, it has made a subtle and powerful statement. Our spirits are made up of more than one language and more than one beat. And that is beautiful.

Finding a fitness instructor that you like requires a match of personality, music, and format. You may discover a class that feels perfect… but what kind of fitness advice should you take from your group exercise instructor? Should you try to match their form (how their body looks doing certain moves)?

Of course, you may think, they’re the instructor! Alas, the answer is not so simple. (But you can skip to the end for the short version.)

Licensure in a specific format

Sometimes, all it takes to become a fitness instructor is the purchase of the right to use a company trademark. Zumba® instructors, for example, are licensed. We attended a day-long training (a weekend-long training in some countries) and received a license to teach Zumba classes.

Part of the reasoning here is that the market will determine which instructors are successful. The Zumba Home Office frequently updates trainings for safety, and the risk of serious injury is purported to be less in cardio classes than in many other formats, so potential instructors aren’t tested before their neon tassels are unleashed into the world.

You can generally trust Zumba instructors to enjoy Zumba, but whether they are demonstrating good form or leading an effective class depends how much additional education—whether within the realm of Zumba or within the realm of fitness in general—the instructor pursues.

Certification in a specific format

The next level up from licensure in specific formats is certification in certain formats. The difficulty of gaining certifications varies.

For Turbo Kick, there was a very simple test on what we’d learned at the end of the day-long training. For some other formats, like BollyX, instructors need to submit video of themselves teaching the format, and they are evaluated by experts in that format to determine whether they pass and can begin teaching in earnest.

You can trust these instructors to have good enough form in that specific program, as determined by a master trainer, to have passed a test at some point. But you can only assume that the instructor is as safe as the underlying program, which may not necessarily follow general safety guidelines.

Group exercise and personal training certifications

Next come nationally recognized exercise certifications: AFAA, ACE, NASM, and ACSM, to name a few. The difficulty of these programs varies.

All certifications require a written exam, whether online or proctored. (Some certifications include live “practical” exams where candidates are required to demonstrate their teaching skills and understanding of body mechanics and program design. However, practical exams are no longer the norm.) After passing a certification exam, in order to maintain the certification, an instructor is required to obtain some amount of continuing education credits periodically.

Group exercise certifications take significantly less time and effort to acquire than personal training certifications. Note, however, that what’s safe for a single personal training client may not be safe for an entire class of people. It’s important for instructors to have the appropriate certification for what they’re teaching.

Some programs and some gyms require instructors to have a certification before they can teach group exercise, which is a good practice; ask your gym what certification(s) they require of their employees.

You can trust instructors certified in group exercise to have some knowledge in good form and putting together safe classes; instructors certified in personal training are devoted not only to form and safety but also to effectiveness of exercises for specific populations. In the proper context (e.g., generally not without being asked [and, usually, paid] to do so), personal trainers can also evaluate a specific person’s form and strengths and offer suggestions.

Academic degrees

Beyond certification comes a degree. It probably goes without saying that a degree in something like exercise science is an impressive qualification with much more than a single test acting as a gatekeeper.

You can trust degree-holders to have devoted years of study and thought to the field, but how much continuous and ongoing education the instructor seeks out will vary.

CPR/AED and First Aid certification

Every instructor should, in my humble opinion, hold a current CPR/AED certification (bonus for First Aid training as well) if they are leading an exercise class. If someone has a group exercise certification, chances are high that they are CPR/AED certified as well.

Not all gyms require this of their instructors, and of course most independent instructors don’t have such requirements either. If you’re concerned, it’s worth asking whether your instructor is CPR certified.

TL;DR

Unless you know and trust your instructor’s certifications, level of education, and commitment to keeping their knowledge current, I recommend seeking a second opinion if they give you specific advice or if you feel weird matching their form. You’re safest trusting a personal trainer (I’m not one!) or someone with a degree in exercise science, and that goes for the authors of internet articles, too.

Plus: Take your own individual needs and your body’s history into consideration, and always question if you’re not sure why an instructor is recommending you do something different.

And finally, please do find out whether your instructor is certified in CPR; you deserve nothing less!

1. People get obsessed. First you’re hesitantly trying a Zumba class, then you’re doing several classes a week, attending community events, buying clothes emblazoned with the logo, and proclaiming your Zumba love from the rooftops. What is this, a cult or something? Apathy is way less tiring.

2. It’s not solitary. Good luck standing in the back, getting your workout done, and going home without speaking to anybody. This dance party emboldens even the most introverted to hug total strangers! Yikes!

3. Your body will betray your expectations. So much for your reliable tight hips and immobile torso; after a few Zumba classes you find yourself shimmying in the grocery store, trying out bellydance videos, and starring in the local salsa night.

4. Your clothes won’t fit anymore. Start saving now, because you may just find yourself a little leaner soon.

5. Music won’t be the same. You may find yourself doing car-eography to top radio hits, or maybe you’ll even seek out so many Latin, African, Indian (etc.) tunes that YouTube starts serving you commercials in another language.

6. Explosions of color may start appearing in your wardrobe. The standard body camouflage of black and gray eventually gives way to lime green and bright pink and tassels and bells and metallic stripes, and you might not even notice it’s happening!

7. Worst of all, it’ll make you feel so ridiculously happy. You’ll look back at all those years without Zumba and wonder what you were thinking! No one needs that kind of regret in their life.